October 2006

I initiated the process to consolidate (again) my student loans in June, anticipating the completion of my Master’s degree in August. After a long delay, my outstanding loans have finally been refinanced as of October 10 at a fixed rate of 4.25 percent. Now comes the fun part: finding money to pay it off, and doing ... Continue reading this article…

Here are the most popular posts from the last 24 hours, according to pfblogs.org: * What Do You Do When Someone Wants to Give You Money? from Blogging Away Debt * Three Mistakes That Can Cost You Thousands from Debt Blog * 25 Steps to a Wildly Successful Personal Finance Blog from Blueprint from Financial ... Continue reading this article…

If you’ve been following along, you may know that I was in a minor car accident over the weekend. I visited an auto body shop that my insurance company deals with directly. The damage to the doors and fender will cost at least $2,500 to fix, $500 of which is my deductible. They will need ... Continue reading this article…

Money Magazine seems to be publishing some good content lately. First, it was 7 shortcuts for major money hassles, and today it’s a larger feature on 25 rules to help you grow rich. I’ve never been one to play by the rules, which in my opinion, are made to be broken. In fact, I hate ... Continue reading this article…

This summary of a discussion and Q&A session by Mohamed A. El-Erian, President of Harvard Management Company, the entity that manages the endowment investments for the Ivy League university, was sent to me. He has talks about the global economy, but without too many specific answers. El-Erian does hint at an answer to a question ... Continue reading this article…

Money Magazine is running an extended feature targeting 7 of the most annoying money problems, and proving some easy solutions. Here is a shortcut to the seven shortcuts: 1. Ace your retirement. Buy a target-retirement fund in your 401(k). If you believe you’ll be retiring in 2030, you can buy a fund that targets that ... Continue reading this article…

There was a report this morning that Ford is dropping the popular Fidelity Magellan fund, in addition to several others, from the company’s 401(k) selections due to poor performance. After the eliminations, Ford still offers 30 mutual funds. My company is a financial services company, so you would think their fund choices rival the best ... Continue reading this article…

Mattc was chosen as the winner of last week’s giveaway. He’ll receive The Bogleheads’ Guide to Investing, by Larimore, Lindauer, and LeBoeuf, and Elliott Wave Principle: Key to Market Behavior, by A.J. Frost. Keep watching Consumerism Commentary for the next giveaway, which will be announced today or tomorrow.

There are no fancy introductions here. Getting right down to it, the average salary for Wall Street is $289,664, while the average for all of New York City is “only” $56,634. The Reuters report includes more money figures, but the only piece I find particularly interesting is the average bonus per person: $125,000. My bonus ... Continue reading this article…

Over the weekend, I received the annual benefits enrollment package from my employer. Last year, the health benefits offered by the company changed significantly to take advantage of Health Savings Accounts and to raise prices. Even after the multiple sessions with Human Resources, there were some of my coworkers who didn’t know the difference between ... Continue reading this article…

Here’s a look at a small selection of the stuff I posted here in the first half of October over the last few years. If they’re new to you, read and leave some comments. October 1-15, 2005 * Negotiating for Salary: Men vs. Women * Staying Away from Fund Fees * Kids Want the Darnedest ... Continue reading this article…

I heard on the radio this evening that Reuters is opening a “bureau” to cover news in the virtual world — an online role-playing game — called Second Life. This world is so immense and detailed, it allows the “players” to participate in any activity they could in the real world. You can open businesses, ... Continue reading this article…

I was in a minor car accident on Saturday. As I was turning out of my apartment court, another car tried to pass a van that was stopped, allowing me to turn. There was no lane for the car to pass the van, but since I was turning, I am legally at fault for the ... Continue reading this article…

Not only is it AllFinancialMatters‘ second blog anniversary, but according to my calendar, it’s also JLP’s birthday today! (I hope my calendar is right.) Here is what the members of the MoneyBlogNetwork (and more) have been writing about this week: * JLP provides instructions for converting an interest rate to APY * Free Money Finance ... Continue reading this article…

Everyone loves saving money, cutting back, and reducing expenses. However, sometimes there is a tendency to focus on the wrong things. While you’re busy feeling good about reducing little costs here and there, every once in a while you neglect the larger picture. Here are some examples: 1. Saving money by not going to the ... Continue reading this article…

Last month, I wrote about my disappointment with Quicken 2007 Home & Business on Windows. Today, Intuit released an update to the software. Here are the listed improvements: * A choice of color schemes is available in the Preferences dialog. * Quicken no longer moves accounts assigned to the Business Center to the Cash Flow ... Continue reading this article…

I’m collecting reviews of the new book by Robert Kiyosaki and Donald Trump, Why We Want You to be Rich, on GuruWatch. Take a look at what people are saying before deciding to purchase (or spend the time reading or listening to) the book. If you’ve come across any other online reviews, feel free to ... Continue reading this article…

Before reading on, if you haven’t participated in this week’s giveaway, open up this article in a new window or tab and add your comments about asset allocation. You can win two interesting books just by leaving a comment. Thanks to everyone who contributed to the discussion about who is to blame for poor money ... Continue reading this article…

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